AXIOS reports the U.S. military struck two moored Iranian government tankers on
Tuesday as part of a wider set of strikes, U.S. officials said. Officials said
this marks the first time Washington has struck Iranian tankers in direct
retaliation for alleged Iranian attacks on vessels transiting the Strait of
Hormuz; previous actions against Iranian tankers had focused on enforcing U.S.
maritime restrictions. A U.S. official said the operation is part of a
Trump-approved tanker-for-tanker policy intended to further deter attacks on
tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The struck tankers were moored in
Iranian nearshore waters north of the U.S. maritime blockade line; U.S. drones
fired missiles that hit engine rooms. U.S. officials said additional targets
included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defenses, radar, mine-laying
facilities, communications sites, anti-ship cruise missile launchers and
attack-drone launch platforms.
